Ok, I am a 31 year old woman. I have a full time job but about a year and a half ago when I was working at a bar I discovered the percocet. It started out innocent enough - one here and there.
Now I am spending close to 150 - 300 dollars a week on pain meds on the street.
I don't take them for pain, I take them to get high. I started off w/ a perc 5 to get high... Now I need 10 sometimes 15 milligrams to get me high. I use sometimes 30 - 45 mg's a day.
I have tried countless times to get off of them.. But all of my friends and aquaintances always have them and I always buy them.
When I go more than 12 hours w/o a percocet, I get shaky, nauseous, headache, dizzy and feel irritable and tired.
Now, if I could sleep for a week and stop taking these stupid things that would be great.
But I have to work a full time job and take care of two kids.
I never thought in a million years that I would ever be addcited to anything except for cigarettes, and I quit smoking no problem twice!
My friends tried to ween me off of them by giving me smaller doses every so many days.. But I would just go to someone else and get them.
I keep looking for withdrawl info. Like, how long does it take, and how long do I have to feel like crap until I feel better. But I can't find anything.
It is the awful stomach knot I especially can't handle.
I really need help.

Opiates are the toughest drug to quit, I have been clean for over two years and it has not been easy,i still have dreams about it. Once you get past the frist 90 days it gets alot easier,some advice for you is to take benedryl at night for those nights that your restless and cant sleep,it really does work and make sure that you eat alot of small meals ,vitamins also helped me ,i took b complex and it helped with the lack of energy problem,painkillers gave me alot of energy so when I stopped I had none. Stay strong and the best of luck to you

You need help to get straightened up. I never thought i'd be addicted to adderall and i"m thrilled I could get off of it. Do you have insurance? You can go as an outpatient or in somewhere for treatment. You have to do it for yourself and your body.

You'll be surprised when you're happy and healthy and off of percocette. People will notice the difference. Please call the health line at your insurance soon. Or go to an na meeting.

Quick background on me before I offer my thoughts. I hope my input is useful.

I have been doing drugs, since the age of 13. Daily since 18. I just turned 29. I've been addicted to nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, and morphine. I know what you're going through. Here's my thoughts, I hope they help.

1st) nicotine is considered by many to be the most addicitve substances in the world. You've broken the addiction to nicotine, you can definitely break your addiction to oxycodone (the ingredient is percoset). I've personally broken the addiction to nicotine and morphine. Nicotine is harder in terms of willpower to quit than morphine (heroin).

2nd) taper yourself off the drugs. Start at 45mgs/day, go to 40, then to 35 etc.... This will help get over the mental addiction because you won't be achieving the "high" but you won't get withdrawls. Talk to your doctor, there is a drug he / she can prescribe that will prevent your body from felling the "high" from opiates. You can eat them w/out getting high, but avoiding the physicalwithdrawl.

3rd) plan a 1 week vacation from work. Use this time to detox off the drugs. The rough part only last a few days. If you can afford it, check yourself into detox - they actually can knock you out for a couple days while the opiates run their course. If you do it on your own, have someone who can help you through it. A friend to sit with you. It would probably be best not to let your kids see you during this time. It's going to be a tough 3 to 5 days. You won't be yourself (i think if kids saw a parent this sick / depressed it would be traumatic). When I detoxed of morphine I lost control of my emotions for 45 minute spurts every few hours. I was sick (like a bad flu) and somewhat in pain. Just remember it's temporary.

4th) figure out why you want to quit. Make visual reminders and keep them on hand in your everyday life. Pictures of your kids. Money? You're spending $6,000 - $12,000 / year to be in a good mood. What else would you want to do with that $$?

6th) go to your doctor and have your liver enzymes tested. 45mgs of percoset for 1.5yrs have done their damage. This may scare you - a good motivator (you also need to take meds to repair your liver - even if you don't quit the drugs do this). Cyrrosis of the liver is irreversible. Hela it before it's too late.

During detox:

the most important thing to remember is that the problems aren't real. Your brains chemistry is going back to normal.

If there was a situation or an event that triggered the drug use, be prepared to face it. Those emotions are buried way down. And they will come up quick.

Take hot baths or sit in a hottub. Your body will experience some pan, this helps.

Don't isolate yourself. Go outside as much as possible and walk around. Try to read books. All of your thoughts and energy will be focused inward, which will intensify the negative feelings.

Document the struggle. Write a journal about how bad you feel, take pictures of your self, record your voice talking to yourself. When you get the urge to do pers again, refer back to thse materials. They will bring back the pain of detox and make doing the drugs seem less appealing.

Hope this helps. I detoxed off morphine (active ingredient in heroin). Days 1 thru 3 were the roughes. By day 4 I was on the other side of it. By day 6 I was back at work (i works in sales cold calling all day).

You mentioned you were looking for the specifics on how long it takes. Day 1 is rough. Sickness, generally uncomfortable, depression. Days 2 thru 4 to 6 are pretty much hell. Don't spend too much energy reading up on the specifics symptoms, you will only program yourself to experience these symptoms. After 5/6 days it gets better.

Seek medical help if possible. There are a lot of things available to make detoxing much more bearable.

You might need to find new friends. Mabye move? It sounds harsh, but as long as the drugs are available, your likely to do them.

What if you loose your connection? This is how many heroin addicts get started. That drug is just as dangerous as the people you have to deal with to get it. The risk of overdose is very high because you never know how much your putting in your system (unlike prescription drugs)

i wish you the best with your addiction. Just remember a lot of people have been addicted to those drugs, and a lot have succesfully quit. If you want it bad enough, you can too.

Tell the so called freinds if they give them to you -you will not pay for them -theyll end up getting burned -take a week off -go to Dr. On 4th day w/flu like symptoms and get a note for work -buy immodiumand benadryl for sleep -lipton cup of doup or roman noodles -and pray-theres nobody to blame honey--you can do it-i promise -but stay away from the suppliers :o

you mentioned you were looking for the specifics on how long it takes. Day 1 is rough. Sickness, generally uncomfortable, depression. Days 2 thru 4 to 6 are pretty much hell. Don't spend too much energy reading up on the specifics symptoms, you will only program yourself to experience these symptoms. After 5/6 days it gets better.

Seek medical help if possible. There are a lot of things available to make detoxing much more bearable.

You might need to find new friends. Mabye move? It sounds harsh, but as long as the drugs are available, your likely to do them.

What if you loose your connection? This is how many heroin addicts get started. That drug is just as dangerous as the people you have to deal with to get it. The risk of overdose is very high because you never know how much your putting in your system (unlike prescription drugs)

i wish you the best with your addiction. Just remember a lot of people have been addicted to those drugs, and a lot have succesfully quit. If you want it bad enough, you can too.

Hello, I am glad that you recognize that you need help. I'm not trying to scare you at all or be !**@!, but maybe this will help. My father was perscribed percs while battling cancer. I'm not sure what the dosage was on them, but I know it was very high. After living on them for over a year (and oxycotin as well) he seriously became like crazy. Obviously, the cancer had something to do with this, but those narcotics seriously mess up your brain if you take too much for too long. I understand what you are going through, after my father eventually passed away I did take some of the percs....They are awesome haha, but not worth it. I'm sure you can get over this addiction. Especially, considering that you quit smoking, I wish I could. Good luck!!

I am 22 years old and have had used percocets for about 4-5 months, I was also spending about 150-300 a week on pills and recently went and got back from a detox program and discovered a miracle pill. It prob saved my life from stepping farther into another addiction. The pilled is called soboxone. The first day of starting my detox I had to be in moderate withdrawals because if you use this pill while you are on percocet or any other opiate you will get sick. But the first day I took it every withdrawal went away except I was a little cold. At the time I was using about 200-250 mg and I couldnt believe what it did for me. If you dont want to go to a detox program you can do it yourself if you go to a doc and ask him/her for a referral to a detox doctor. If your too embarassed and could get soboxone on the street, this is what detox programs give to you:

day:
1: 8 mg
2: 16 mg
3: 12 mg
4: 8 mg
5: 4 mg

detox is the first step to recovery. You must know you are a drug addict and you are use to having that drug there and when all opiates are out your system your mind isnt used to it and you have to retrain your mind and programs and support groups about addiction will help

i've cold turkeyed a 30mg a day xanax addiction that spanned 3 years, and a 4 year 90mg a day morphine habit that i was also taking vicodin and percaset daily as well

1.the detox cold turkey for me lasted 2 weeks.
2.drug addicts dont get first in line for liver transplants
3."But I have to take care of two kids. "--love is a do word shown through action and sacrifice
4. dont feel bad that your and addict and your 2 children will suffer because of this because if you do your more likely to use it as an excuse to justify becoming more depressed and just plain give up.

im sorry for your plight but self dicipline is something that even an addict can learn.
i may not abuse xanax or painkillers anymore but for years now i've taken them as prescribed with no problems. instead of 30mg of xanax a day i take 1mg or less for anxiety issuesand instead of waking up and snorting 30mg of morphine followed by eating 50mg of viocdin i wake up and eat 10mg of vicodin 4 times a day or less for various chronic pain problems and anymore i dont even enjoy the high they give, it's almost as if i've outgrown it for lack of a better term and so can you if you want to and really care for these children. actions speak louder than words

I have also figured out that I am dependent on pills. It started just like the rest I guess, a few here and there. Now, its as soon as I get up and get the kids to daycare while on my way to work. I own a business, yet I am not wealthy and my habit is costing me around $300.00 to $400.00 a week. I am afraid that my wife (who also uses on a limited basis) will find that my part time habit is no longer a part time habit. I have used most every street drug out there, and never have I had a issue stopping, but these pills have taken over my life. I have two great kids and a hard working wife, and the pills are the only thing I think about from the time I wake, to the time I go to bed.

Now, my use is effecting my work habits. I can longer work effectively without them and I am afraid.

I have just got out of the detox program. i have been on percs for like 4 months. My first time having an issue with addiction. I was prescribed them for unknown abdominal pain and became addicted. the symptoms ive gone through and still am like having are nausea, headaches, restlessness, feeling cold sometimes when everyone thinks its pretty warm, dizzyness/lightheadness, tiredness(but this is kinda cuz im on clonidine to help). I've experienced a dry mouth for a couple days on like day two. I'm on my fifth day off of them. I find I kinda space out as well.
I felt very nervous leaving detox and had a hard time keeping myself there and not going to go back out and do them. I'm still really fighting it as really having the urge for them. It's a difficult road but just gotta believe I can get through it and thats what u gotta do too. I'm now waiting on getting into a treatment program. i'm staying with ppl for the week for support rather than have went immediately home after.